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The AFC South is up for grabs in 2020 with the Tennessee Titans back-dooring their way to the AFC Championship Game while the division champions, the Houston Texans, stalled out in the divisional round.
On the Friday edition of “Good Morning Football,” the panel kicked around the question of who would win the AFC South in 2020. Peter Schrager, who was impressed with the Titans’ playoff run, said that he still likes Houston. Schrager also implied that one of the reasons the Texans would repeat is because of the leadership of Bill O’Brien.
“I will give the nod to the Houston Texans right now, and Bill O’Brien has been parodied as some clown this offseason because he traded DeAndre Hopkins,” Schrager said. “Look, Bill O’Brien has been around football long time. He’s been around Tom Brady and Bill Belichick and those guys. He knows what works in a locker room. He knows what he’s looking for. Does it seem like he’s got too much power because he’s the coach, he’s the GM, and he dictates all the personnel moves as well? Well, as long as they are going to the playoffs every season and as long as they are winning, I feel like Bill O’Brien is going to have that position there.”
Texans chairman and CEO Cal McNair mentioned in late January that one of the reasons the club decided to give the full-time general manager duties to O’Brien was because of the progress the team showed in repeating as division champions from a season ago and adding a wild-card playoff win at NRG Stadium. Since the disastrous 4-12 season, technically, the Texans have done nothing but improve under O’Brien, though the progress has been one step at a time and not journeying through some football success wormhole as the Titans have done.
“So, I would say they are the team to beat in the division because they are the reigning champions for the past two seasons,” said Schrager. “DeAndre Hopkins or not, they seem to be getting into those games in January, and last year had a 24-0 lead in Kansas City before the Chiefs came roaring back. So, yes, I will say that, even though I love what Tennessee did last January.”
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